Hand Plane Techniques for beginners

[Nelson Bradley]

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times, but I just can't seem to get the wording right when I search. I'm looking for articles on basic hand plane techniques for getting stock square and the faces parallel. The only articles I can find are on planing one surface and using a thickness planer for the other or just jointing. I can't find anything on just using hand planes to do it all. I think I understand the concept of using a shooting board to joint after getting one face flat, but can't figure out how to make the other face parallel and square. I currently have a #3, 4 and 5. I'm looking for a 7 or 8.

Thanks

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Hi Nelson,

If you can ever find the (out of print) book by Robert Wearing entitled The Essential Woodworker, buy it. It will answer this and many more questions you will face down the road.

The general idea is to plane one face flat and in wind. That last weird phrase simply means without twist. This then becomes the reference face.

Then you plane one long edge flat and square to the reference face that is also without wind (twist).

From both these reference faces the other dimensions are produced. Mark both these reference faces with a pencil.

The sequence thereafter isn't important. The remainder of the task of getting a board true is:

(1) gauging to width on both wide faces, running the marking gauge with its fence against the reference edge.
(2) sawing to width along with truing that long-edge square in the same manner as the reference edge. How much to leave past the gauged to width line depends on sawing skills. If needed, saw a given distance from the width line and plane down to it being careful to check each side for when you get close to the width gauged lines.
(3) here I prefer to gauge for thickness if the piece needs thicknessing. Using the reference face, abut the gauge's fence to the reference face and scribe a line all the way around the stock--this is gauging the thickness.
(4) plane a chamfer on the face opposite the reference face down to the scribed line on the long edges. You can also chamfer the ends, but I almost never do.
(5) plane to thickness. With the chamfers it is easy to see when you are approaching the desired thickness. Of course, if your wood is already the thickness desired, the previous step and this one are not needed.
(6) using the reference edge, mark for square on one end. If this end is square enough use a shooting board to square it true, then that is what I do. If it needs sawn, saw it to the line indicating square. Then use a shooting board if desired, or carefully plane it sans shooting board. Much harder without a shooting board.
(7) measure for length. For most cut lines on boards, I use a knife to scribe or a marking gauge. This produces a fine accurate line. While I may use a pencil for step 6, I always use a knife for this step. If the cut needed is critical, I may at this point use a chisel on the waste side and create a slight 'V' down into the knifed line for the saw to start against.
(8) shoot this edge (plane it using a shooting board).

In a nutshell, that's it.

I believe the last Popular Woodworking there was an article by David Charelsworth concerning getting a face very flat. Worth the read if you get PopWood.

Take care, Mike

[Preston Baxter]

I can't think of any online articles that thoroughly cover the subject, but I highly recommend the Jim Kingshott "Bench Planes" DVD. The video not only demonstrates the proper planing sequence , but also proper marking out techniques that are crucial to fine hand work (or machine work for that matter). The late Jim Kingshott was one of the last classically trained master cabinetmakers of the English tradition. All his other DVDs are excellent as well.

The only critique I have about the Bench Planes video is that Jim uses some Infill planes to take the finishing cuts on the timber he is preparing and says that the Infill plane is the only plane that will take such a controlled cut. This could discourage beginners to think that an Infill plane is required for such work, but in actual fact, a well tuned Stanley plane will work just as well. Even so, Jim's Infill planes are inspiring considering he made them from scratch himself, something that is not mentioned in the video.

After you have mastered the techniques in the Kingshott Video check out David Charlesworth's Planing DVD from Lie Nielsen which covers more advanced techniques if you need ultimate precision.

[Danny Thompson]

Fine Woodworking (#191 and online) has an article by Philip C Lowe called "Flat and square by hand." They also have an online video called "How They Did It: Dimensioning Lumber by Hand" by Mack S. Headley. Jr. And "Four Squaring with Hand Tools" by Anthony Guidice (#142 and online).

[lowell holmes]

Lie Nielsen has dvd's and video tapes that will address your needs. The new one by Chris Schwarz (Furniture Making with Handplanes) is especially good.

[Brian Kent]

Mike, the book you recommended - The Essential Woodworker - might be a ripe one for a reprint. The used copies on Amazon are going for $79 to $119.

[Dan Barr]

here is a link to a used book store with a copy of the book: "The Essential Woodworker"

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1008029578&searchurl=an%3Drobert%2Bwearing%26sortby%3D2%26sts %3Dt%26tn%3Dthe%2Bessential%2Bwoodworker%26x%3D0%2 6y%3D0

its only 65 dollars. :D maybe you ought to grab this quick like and in a hurry.

(i edited this link, i had the wrong book in it earlier. sorry.)

v/r

dan

[Louis Rucci]

Thanks for the tip. I ordered one

[Dan Barr]

v/r

dan :)

[Danny Thompson]

Nice description, Mike.

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Wow, the price on Wearing's book has sorta gone berserk. It's a good book, but I don't know about a large bill for it!

If you want to practice hand skills doing something other than a project, using the techniques at the links or the outline (such as it is) above, make a board precisely true at a 3" width, 7" in length and 3/4" thick.

Then layout as per the graphic below and perform the tasks. Tools needed beyond what are used to true the board are a saw and a couple chisels. For the concave circular cut-out an inexpensive coping saw with decent blades (see Tools for Working Wood) helps, but kerfs can be cut to the lay-out lines and careful chisel work to clean the arc can be used (understanding it may not come out perfect). Oh, and a mallet. Even a deadblow mallet for the chisels. For the mortises, pre-drilling saves some wacks, but aren't necessary.

This illustration is from Gottshall's book, Making Antique Furniture Reproductions. This type of excercise was once common.

http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/temp/gottshall_0001.jpg

The easiest part of the exercise is the actual removal of wood. The hardest part is accurate lay-out. But that is true of every widget we all make. It will test your sharpening skills (hopefully improving them).

Try to use a wood that isn't too soft (Pine is a killer), Poplar a bit better. Cherry or Oak is my choice. Hard Maple might be more difficult than wanted. Mahogany is perfect.

This is a good way to improve skills if you have time to kill in the shop for an hour or two. If you do this exercise, don't be frustrated if it isn't "perfect." It is an exercise that would tax most people in some way on SMC (me included).

Have fun. Take care, Mike

[Bill Brehme]

Wow! What a great way to quickly hone (heh heh) a good cross section of skills.
Thanks for that Mike!

[Zahid Naqvi]

Hey Mike, thanks, looks like a pretty useful approach. What I have done a few times is make dovetails, date them and throw them in the cutoff pile for future comparison. This is a broader approach, I might try it a few times.

[Eddie Darby]

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=29714

8 video tips!

[James Owen]

I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times, but I just can't seem to get the wording right when I search. I'm looking for articles on basic hand plane techniques for getting stock square and the faces parallel. The only articles I can find are on planing one surface and using a thickness planer for the other or just jointing. I can't find anything on just using hand planes to do it all. I think I understand the concept of using a shooting board to joint after getting one face flat, but can't figure out how to make the other face parallel and square. I currently have a #3, 4 and 5. I'm looking for a 7 or 8.

Thanks

Here are a couple of books that may be of use:

Old Ways of Working Wood (Alex Bealer)

Traditional Woodworking Techniques (Graham Blackburn)

Traditional Woodworking Handtools (Graham Blackburn)

Working With Hand Planes (Taunton)

Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings (Aldren Watson)

Furniture Making Techniques (All 3 volumes) David Charlesworth

Some of Roy Underhill's Woodwright series
_____

Below is an article I put together a while back that may be of some use to you:
_____

STOCK DIMENSIONING USING HAND TOOLS:

Hand planing (rough) lumber to dimension is not hard:

Ideally, you need 5 planes: a scrub plane, a #5, a #7 or #8, a #4 or #4½, and a low angle block plane, but you can get away with a #5 and a low angle block plane -- it's just a little harder. (Or you can use wooden equivalents.)

You'll also need a good straight edge, an accurate try or combination square, a marking/panel gauge, and a pair of winding sticks (you can make these yourself). A card scraper (with holder, if desired) is also handy.

Select a board face for the reference face. Use a pair of winding sticks and a straight edge to determine the high and low spots. Mark the high spots and use the scrub plane to reduce them to the approximate level of the rest of the board. Check for twist with the winding sticks. Correct with the scrub, as necessary. By this time, you should have a roughly flat (length and width) board with no twist and with a lot of troughs in it. Use the #5 to remove the troughs made by the scrub plane. (Planing diagonally or straight across the grain in both directions with the scrub plane and the #5 to remove the scrub troughs will significantly reduce tearout in most woods. Then follow up with the #5 by planing with the grain.) Once the troughs are mostly gone, use the #7 or #8 with the grain to plane the face flat. Once you get full length and full width shavings, your board is very, very close to FLAT. Check with the straight edge and winding sticks. Correct as necessary. Finish up with the smoothing plane (#4 or # 4½). Use the scraper on gnarly grain that gives your smoother a hard time, but be careful not to scrape a dip into the wood. Part 1 of 6, complete.

Mark this face as your reference face. All other measurements of square, etc., will come from this face.

Select one long edge, and use the #5 to roughly flatten/smooth it, and then use the #7/#8 to make it straight and square to the reference face. To do this, use your straight edge to find any local high spots and trim those with the #5 first. Then use the jointer plane to flatten. Be careful to keep the edge square to the reference face. Mark this edge as your reference edge. Part 2 of 6, complete.

Use the reference edge and the try/combination square to mark one of the short edges square. Use a crosscut saw to saw (on the waste side!) almost to the marked line, if necessary. You can use the #5 to rough plane it flat and square to both the reference face and edge -- if the short edge is 4 to 6 or more inches wide; if not, then start with the LA block plane. (Chamfering the edges down to your cutting line will reduce tear out on the corner edges; alternative methods are to clamp a sacrificial piece of wood to the edge and let it tear out instead of your board, or to plane in from each outside edge.) Use the LA block plane to clean it up. Mark the other short edge to the desired length (saw it to rough length, if necessary) and do the same thing to the other short edge. Parts 3 and 4 of 6, complete.

Use your combination square or a marking/panel gauge to mark the other (unplaned) long edge to the desired finished width. Saw to rough width, if necessary. As you did for the reference long edge, use the #5 to roughly smooth it down almost to the cutting line, and then use the #7/#8 to make it straight and square to the reference face. Check for straight and square to the reference face and to the 2 short edges. All 4 edges should now be square to the reference face and square to each other. Part 5 of 6, complete.

Use your marking gauge, basing off the reference face, to mark the thickness of your board around all 4 edges. Flip the board over to the unplaned face and use the scrub plane to plane down almost to the marked reference lines (The bottoms of the troughs should be about 1/16th to 1/8th inch above the cutting line). Use the #5, and the #7 or #8, as before on the reference face, to make this face flat and square. Finish up with the smoothing plane and, as necessary, the scraper. Part 6 of 6, complete.

At this time, you should have a board with 2 flat, smooth, and parallel faces, 4 flat and square edges (long edges parallel to each other, as well as short edges parallel to each other, and all 4 edges square to the two faces and to each other), and of the required thickness, length, and width, ready for whatever needs to be done next.

The first board you do by hand will take what seems like an inordinately long time, but with just a little bit of practice, it becomes nearly as fast as -- and often faster than -- putting a board through a jointer, thickness planer, and sanding sequence.

If you have a shooting board, you can use it to assist with steps 2, 3, 4, and 5.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

Keep your plane irons SHARP!! Your iron is sharp enough if you are able to take fine shavings (not saw dust) from end grain pine – even with a jack plane or a jointer.

If you have only a couple of planes, open the mouth up for the initial rougher planing, and close the mouth for the finer, finish planing.

Let the plane do the work -- don't force it.

Skewing the plane often helps to reduce tear out and makes planing easier.

Take deliberate, slow-to-moderate speed planing strokes. This helps maintain the plane vertical to the surface/edge of the board, and gives you better control over the quality of the planing.

To help keep the edges square to the reference face, keep the tote (rear handle) vertical (you can usually do this by feel); you can also help keep the edges square by hooking your thumb around the rear of the front knob and curling your fingers under the plane sole against the face of the board, using your fingers as a kind of fence (don’t do this if you’ll end up with a finger full of splinters).

Try to keep the amount of wood removed from each face roughly equal; otherwise any internal stresses present may cause the board to warp or cup again, after you have put all that work and effort into making it flat.

Expect to get a good upper body work out!

The listed sequence is not the only sequence that this can be done in, but it works quite well. YMMV.

Good luck, and have fun! There's nothing quite like the sense of accomplishment you get when you have taken a piece of rough-sawn timber and turned it into a nicely finished, dimensioned board, using only hand-powered tools.

_____
RE: your avitar:

Hooah!

Alumnus:

HHC, 3d Inf Div (Rock of the Marne): 1976 - 1980
C Co, 1st Bn, 16th Inf Regt (Iron Rangers), 1 ID (Fwd): 1986 - 1989
HHC, 4th Bn, 31st Inf Regt (Polar Bears): 1989 - 1990
D Co, 31st Inf Regt (Polar Bears): 1991 - 1993

[Mark Stutz]

Nelson,
I missed this thread the first time around. Do what Mike says:D;). I leave the champfers shallow of the line, so I can go very aggressively if needed at first, then slow down and get more deliberate as I approach the line. If you've scored the line reasonable deep with the guage, you will get to a point where there is a thin sliver, just 1 or 2 shavings thick at the edge. Then that comes off, the only amount that is left is the thickness of the marking line. These pictures show what I'm talking about.

[Anthony Fields]

Eddie, Thanks. That was very informative for this newbie to see in video. Much appreciated. :)

[Bill Houghton]

"Planecraft," available from your friendly local Woodcraft store (or online), now about $12. A reprint of a pre-WWII British book that does favor Record tools, but applies to any Bailey-type bench plane and most of the other common specialty planes.